Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-01-26
TERRORs OF LEPROSY.
Living for Year in the Fear or Death-Odd
Cases that Came to Light In the Hawaiian
lsland-Suieide Contemplated.

| LlVtng iOr fear In the rear Oh ucAth-Ouu
Cases that Came to Light In the Hawaiian
lsland-suieide Contemplated.
From the New York Express.
DR.. Frederick T. Miner, Appointment
physician of Honolulu, Hawaii, is
spending d few days in New York,
winding up the first visit he has made
to his native country in twenty years.
He lett Vermont when he was little
more than boy, travelled by stages
and on foot across the plains to Cali
fornia, where he mined gold for q liv
ing and studied medicine for pastime.
When he discovered that there was
very little profit in the former and
chance for considerablein the latter, he
devoted himself entirely to medicine,
and was at one time considered the
most promising young doctor in San
Francisco. Then he went to Honolulu
on a visit, and was so much impressed
with the beauty and fertility of the
country that he stayed there, and has
favor of the King and man ofmeans.
His wife journeyed from Vermont clear
around the Horn in sailing vessel to
be married to him.
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful
and delightful spots in the world"
said the doctor the other day to a
party of friends who had given him a
| dinner, land it is only question of
| time when it will become a very
rich and profitable dependent OF some
country. The native dynasty cannot
last much longer. Atpresent it is little
more than a name. The King is sunk
in idleness and luxury, and foreign in
fiuences struggle for the control of
things. The country really should be
| annexed to the United States; it is
most nearly allied to you by situation,
| trade and inclination. But no doubt
you will let England or France steal
a march upon you and take it away
before your face. Then one OF them
will reap the profits Of the enormous
trade in sugar, fruits and vegetables
which the unsurpassed fertility OF the
island is building up year byyear, and
which naturally should be princi-
pally yours. The native population
of Hawaii is rapidly passing away.
In very few years, comparatively,
it will be practically extinct. What
carries Off the people? Leprosy, for
the most part, and then some such
mysterious incompatibility of races
as made the North American Indians
melt away before the Europeans. The
islanders were fine race, originally,
but the vices they have learned from
the white men have worked their ruin.
1.-THE ravages of leprosy in Hawaii
have not been overdrawn. ] don't
know how they could be even AIDE
quately described to one who had never
witnessed them. The terrible disease
seems to be a poison in the blood that
will eventually run through and wipe
out the entire native race. The gov
eminent does what it can in it's feeble
way to keep the disease from spread
ing. All authenticated cases are iso-
lated on an island in the harbor.
Physicians hired at the public cost
watch for the disease and study its
symptoms. But it still increases
steadily among the natives. The
foreigners catch it sometimes. 1t is
great mistake, however, to suppose,
as most people do, that the disease is
contagious. 1t can be communicated
from one person to another only by
contact and an actual transmission
of virus, as by wound or a sore.
have treated thousands of lepers,
been with them when they died,
visited the leper hospital on the
island, and ate the food prepared for
leper palates by leper hands. | have
handled living and dead Iepers with
IMMUNITY, and so have hundreds OF
other Caucasians. On the other hand,
hundreds of white men have been in
fected by the disease in the way that
| have named and have died the most
horrible and loathsome of deaths.
II shall never forget-I have the
strongest cause to remember-an ex-
perience | once had that put all the
gray hairs into my bead and the crows
feet into my face that you can dis
cover. Twas called one day to at
tend wealthy patient suffer
ing from leprosy, who had by
reason OF his wealth escaped being
sent to the island with the other vic,
Tins The disease had reached q
stage where the surgeons knife could
be used to prolong life somewhat. l
attended and amputated the patients
leg. AS was washing my hands after
the operation, made a discovery
that drove my blood into frozen Jumps
around my heart. In some way or
other managed to cut the foretinger
of my right hand with my knife. That
was the finger that l had used the
most in removing the affected limb,
and tying the diseased ligatures. The
merest scratch with pin under those
circumstances would result in infec- |
ton. Ihad not the slightest doubt that |
had contracted the disease. The full |
horror of that consciousness is beyond |
description. For days / was like a
man in stupor. My long familiarity
with the horrible fortunes of leprosy,
instead OF dulling my senslbilities, |
only magnifed my realization of my
fate, and the distressing sights had |
seen crowded upon me like q night
mare. My wife at length surmised the
cause of my changed behavior, and |
wrungthe truth from me. She under |
stood the terrors of the calamity that |
had fallen upon me as fully as did |
There was nothing to be done but |
face the situation as bravely as we |
could. 1t would be full year before
the disease began to manifest itself. |
We determined that we would spend |
that year as happily as we could in
each others company. At the first |
manifestation of the disease | would |
kill myself. The idea OF living to |
watch my own decay was some
thing not to be thought of for q mo-
mcnt. We carefully debated all means
of death, and this at last seemed to
me the best: would take q small
boat and row out into the harbor.
Then would sit on the edge OF the
gunwale, shoot myself through the
head and fall overheard. You prob
ably think it strange did not pre-
fer morphine, or some other less vio-
lent means of death. There was no
method of ending human existence
that did not carefully canvass, and
of them all, chose that which I have
described, because it was sure, speedy
and painless.
II think I lived ten year in the